by Kyle Larson
CONTENTS
The Pirates of Mercury
INTRODUCTION
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
The End
TBC
Afterword
The Pirates of Mercury
The Kelvin Voyages
Book One
By Kyle Larson
Copyright © 2018 All Rights Reserved
For Jude
To the moon and back
WHEN HUMANS LEARNED TO TRAVEL THROUGH SPACE, THEY SPREAD OUT AMONGST THE SOLAR SYSTEM, WITH EACH PLANET GETTING IT’S OWN KINGDOM. THESE WERE CALLED THE NINE KINGDOMS OF THE SUN. A FAMILY HELPED RULE EACH PLANET WITH AN ELECTED COUNCIL, AND WHEN IT WAS TIME FOR ONE OF THEIR HEIRS TO TAKE HIS OR HER PLACE ON THE THRONE, THEY HAD TO UNDERGO GREAT CHALLENGES TO PROVE THEIR WORTH.
THE MOST DIFFICULT OF THE TRADITIONS WAS THE TRADITION OF SERVICE: THE HEIR MUST GO TO EACH PLANET IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND COMPLETE A SERVICE FOR THE KING OR QUEEN OF IT. THIS TRADITION WAS A FORM OF DIPLOMACY, AND IT ALLOWED EACH HEIR TO ESTABLISH TRUST AND A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE OTHER ROYALTY IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM. IT ALSO TAUGHT THE VALUABLE LESSON OF SERVICE, AND HELPED THE HEIR PROVE HIM OR HERSELF NOT ONLY TO THEIR OWN PEOPLE, BUT TO ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
THIS TRADITION HAS HELPED KEEP PEACE FOR OVER FOUR HUNDRED YEARS.
FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS, THE PLANET EARTH HAS NOT PARTICIPATED IN THE TRADITION OF DISPATCHING THEIR HEIR TO OTHER PLANETS. PRINCESS AREN, WHEN SENT OUT BY HER FATHER, KING ERELM SELLWOOD, VANISHED ON HER WAY TO MERCURY TO BEGIN HER FIRST DUTY TO IT’S KING. KING ERELM WAS SO SADDENED BY HIS DAUGHTER’S DISAPPEARANCE, HE GREW PARANOID THAT SHE WAS TAKEN BY ONE OF THE OTHER PLANETS. NOT WISHING WAR, HE SIMPLY WITHDREW HIS KINGDOM FROM RELATIONS WITH THE OTHER KINGDOMS. EARTH HAS REMAINED ISOLATED SINCE PRINCESS AREN VANISHED.
PRINCE KELVIN SELLWOOD, HEIR TO EARTH’S THRONE, BELIEVES HE MUST CONVINCE HIS FATHER TO REJOIN THE OTHER KINGDOMS. PRINCE KELVIN WANTS TO BE A GOOD KING AND BELIEVES THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT IS TO FOLLOW THE TRADITIONS AND KEEP THE PEACE. KELVIN, ALONG WITH HIS MOTER, QUEEN ELEYN, PUT TOGETHER A PLAN TO SEND THE PRINCE OUT INTO THE STARS WHETHER THE KING APPROVES OR NOT.
THIS IS KELVIN’S STORY AND HIS VOYAGES THAT WILL FOREVER CHANGE THE NINE KINGDOMS OF THE SUN.
CHAPTER ONE
Prince Kelvin Sellwood walked out onto the balcony of his room in one of the highest towers of his home, the Royal Palace of Earth. The castle was the largest building on the planet and loomed above everything, even the clouds. It was so big, in fact, that almost everyone on planet Earth either lived within it’s walls or just outside of them. Kelvin liked to think of all the people on Earth as his friends, since they were all his neighbors.
The air outside the castle was cold today. Kelvin looked down the thousands of feet to see the tiny dots that were buildings, underneath all the clouds his tower rose above. The castle hadn’t always been so tall, keeping he and his family, the royalty of Earth, so far from the rest of the people. It had always seemed odd to Kelvin, since he was a child, that his father, King Erelm, insisted on keeping his family so far from the rest of Earth. Kelvin’s older cousins whispered to him that the king did this to protect them all.
King Erelm lost his daughter, the princess Aren, when Kelvin was just a small child. Those who knew the king best, whom Kelvin overheard speak about the king, say that was when he changed. The king grew nervous, afraid of losing his family, so he moved them further and further away from the rest of his people. Kelvin loved his father and knew his father loved him, but he could tell the old man was troubled. As Kelvin went through school and learned one day he would be king, the prince knew he would need to learn more about the rest of the Nine Kingdoms of the Sun than he could from the balcony of his tower.
Kelvin could hardly remember his sister, since he was only three when she vanished ten years ago. He remembered the sound of her laughter when she played hide and seek with him, but he only knew her from pictures he saw. His father had a statue of her in the center of his court, so that no one forgot his lost daughter. Her disappearance was one of the great mysteries in the Nine Kingdoms of the Sun. When she vanished, every kingdom from Mercury to Pluto sent their Space Knights looking for her. No matter that, Princess Aren, heir to the Kingdom of Earth, could not be found. It was a tragedy that changed everything for the Nine Kingdoms of the Sun.
Today, Kelvin hoped to start healing the pain his father felt since Princess Aren went missing. Kelvin knew his day to sit on the throne was coming and that he did not intend to be the king his father was. King Erelm was a good man who would do anything for his family or people, but that was as far as his willingness to help would go. The Nine Kingdoms of the Sun often called on Earth to help with problems that affected the whole solar system, not just one planet. Their calls went unanswered, despite pleas from Queen Eleyn and the Royal Council.
The Kingdom of Earth remained its own world, apart from the Nine Kingdoms of the Sun, whom King Erelm blamed for not being able to find his missing daughter. Kelvin remembered overhearing his mother and father argue when he was younger. He would never forget his father’s words.
“I will not make war on the Nine Kingdoms, but until our princess is safe again, I will not treat with them.”
Kelvin, the fifteen-year-old heir, wanted Earth to return to its place among the Nine Kingdoms of the Sun. Queen Eleyn taught him the importance the Nine Kingdoms played from the time humans learned to travel the stars. The Nine Kingdoms worked together to make sure every person in every kingdom was taken care of. It was the existence that humans of the past never thought possible, but it was only possible because the Nine Kingdoms worked together.
There was a violent history of war, not just on Earth, but in the Nine Kingdoms. When humans first left Earth to explore the solar system over nine-hundred years ago, the world was a fractured place. It was on the brink of catastrophe as the planet warmed and was becoming a difficult place for humans to live. They went looking for new homes among the planets and moons of the solar system, and not everyone was willing to share the homes and resources they found. Large, greedy corporations built battleships to try and take planets by force. It took almost a millennium of fighting for humans to realize the only way they would thrive in the solar system is if they worked together. They came so close to annihilation, but in that dangerous push, learned balance was required.
Since King Erelm had withdrawn Earth from the alliance of the Nine Kingdoms, that balance had been tested. The Kingdom of Earth felt it the most, but the other kings and queens of each system watched nervously, as the dissatisfaction of Earth was feared to eventually spread to other planets. The people of Earth missed their planet being a leader among the Nine Kingdoms. Sure, they were still allowed to travel to other kingdoms, but they felt like outsiders on other planets as the rest of the Nine Kingdoms worked together and continued to improve the solar system. Earth was always welcome, but their king kept any ambassador or government official out of Nin
e Kingdoms business.
As the years went by, it became apparent that it was not only important the Kingdom of Earth return to the Nine Kingdoms – it was necessary.
Kelvin thought all of these things, these heavy burdens that were placed on him, as he turned from the rail of his balcony and walked back into his room. Inside, Amelia Chapman, Kelvin’s best friend, waited for him. No one knew Kelvin better than Amelia, which is why she stayed quiet and didn’t joke with him as usual. Amelia knew where Kelvin was headed after he left the room. An hour ago, they had been playing video games and laughing like fifteen-year-olds should be doing. Then the queen came to let Kelvin know it was time to get ready. Today, Kelvin would make his first royal address to his father, declaring his intention to be the heir to the throne, and more importantly, to leave Earth and undergo the Traditions of Service to the Nine Kingdoms.
The Traditions of Service was Kelvin’s way off Earth. Princess Aren had been the last person in the Nine Kingdoms to participate in the ritual, but never made it to Mercury, where the tradition is supposed to start. Once an heir sets out to complete the Traditions of Service, they are not supposed to return to their home world until they've completed a service to every kingdom. The queen or king of each planet will make a request, that as long as it's not against any law, Kelvin will have to complete. The Traditions of Service is not considered complete unless every queen or king has their request fulfilled.
A prince or princess’ first royal address was cause enough of its own to be nervous. The nervousness Kelvin felt had more to do with what his address would say. The prince didn’t know his father very well, as the king often kept himself isolated in his office. Kelvin ate dinner with his mother and father every night, but there were few words between them. The king asked routine questions about Kelvin’s school, but nothing more. It was something Kelvin accepted about his father, but this morning, the prince knew that for the first time, he was going to see his father angry.
An announcement from Kelvin that he would undergo the Tradition of Service – which was his right – would most likely be seen as defiance against his father’s position on remaining outside the Nine Kingdoms. Kelvin had studied the Traditions of Service for the past few years, and he saw it as his only way to ever leave Earth and try to reforge alliances of the past. It would put him face-to-face with every ruler of the Nine Kingdoms, and by the time he was finished with the Traditions of Service, he would be the proper age to inherit the throne.
No king likes to be questioned, even if it’s by their own son.
“He’s just your dad, Kelvin,” Amelia said, as the gloomy looking prince picked up his mobile phone and started thumbing through apps and games to distract himself. “He’s the king to the rest of us, but he’s just your dad, Kelvin. Just pretend like you’re talking to him.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Kelvin said, not taking his eyes off the vertically rectangular screen. “You don’t have to go tell your dad you’re going to disobey him in front of his advisory, generals, and all the nobles of the kingdom.”
“What’s he gonna do? What’s the worst thing he could do, Kelvin?” Amelia said, trying to sound sympathetic. She usually joked with her friend, but she wanted him to know she was serious, and had his support. They often joked about how cold and unfriendly King Erelm was, referring to him as “ice king”.
“Tell me I can’t go and that he won’t accept my claim to the throne,” Kelvin said, taking his eyes off the space fighting game he’d just opened to meet Amelia’s. “Then our relations with the Nine Kingdoms get worse, we go to war, and my family loses their throne to one of the nobles.”
This was a touchy thing to say. Amelia’s family was one of the oldest noble families in the Kingdom of Earth, and if the Sellwood royal line was to end, the Chapmans would certainly be the first to inherit the throne. Amelia’s father, Benito, was best friends and top-advisor to King Erelm, so that was never a suspicion. Amelia had seen and overheard frustrations her father had with the king, but she never questioned his loyalty, though Kelvin often joked her father might be better suited for the job.
“Now you sound like your dad,” Amelia said, trying to brush of the awkwardness.
“It doesn’t matter. Mom’s gonna make me do this whether I want to or not,” Kelvin said.
Like Kelvin, Queen Eleyn had grown tired of her husband’s ways. The queen had taken over as representative of the royal house, in all official duties. She attended at least a dozen meetings a day with members and organizations in Earth’s government, but because Erelm was a blood heir to the throne, her authority was not greater than his. Many people thought it was wrong and that Queen Eleyn should protest and become sole ruler of Earth, taking away King Erelm’s authority, but the only person who could do that was the queen herself. The love and pity Queen Eleyn had for her husband kept her from taking that extreme measure, but she secretly promised herself she would do it if things ever became too bad. Queen Eleyn believed that taking care of the people of Earth was her duty – and not even her loyalty to her husband could get in the way of that.
Just as he mentioned his mother, someone knocked on his door. Both Kelvin and Amelia jumped in surprise. Their nervousness was high.
“Kelvin, it’s mom,” Queen Eleyn’s voice came from outside the door.
Kelvin tossed his phone aside and motioned for Amelia, who stood next to his dresser that had a neatly folded, Earth Navy outfit resting on it, to toss him the clothes. Kelvin had been in jeans and a t-shirt all morning. Distracted with between watching Tube videos with Amelia and zapping video game aliens on his phone, when he was supposed to make sure the Earth Navy uniform still fit him. It was what he would be expected to wear when he went before his father to claim his right to the throne.
“Honey, did you try on the uniform? Does it fit?” The queen asked.
“Yeah, mom,” Kelvin said nervously. He was scared of his dad, but that fear wasn’t different than the phone and Tube privileges his mother never hesitated to revoke if he didn’t do what she asked him. “I’ll be right there.”
“I better go,” Amelia said. “I’m supposed to be there, in the audience. Mom wants me to wear my best stuff too.”
She walked to the door and Kelvin watched after her, realizing all morning with her had just been a distraction. It was time to face his father and his responsibilities. Playtime with his friends was really over.
“You’re gonna do great, Kelvin. Really. You’ve always been best at speech and presentations in class. Just pretend you’re giving that presentation on Saturn gas miners like we did last year in Mrs. McKay’s celestial geology class.”
That was a report Kelvin had gotten his highest grade on, with Mrs. McKay noting he did exceptionally well at public speaking. Kelvin wasn’t shy. He wasn’t nervous about the billions of people he would eventually be speaking in front of. Kelvin was nervous about an audience of one.
“Thanks, Millie,” Kelvin said, forcing a smile.
As he changed into his Royal Guard uniform, he could hear Amelia and his more exchanging nervous chit-chat. Queen Eleyn had known Amelia as long as she’d known her own son, and thought of her almost as the daughter she’d never had. Since the king had become troubled in the last ten years, the strong friendship between Kelvin’s parents and Amelia’s grew strained, but Kelvin and Amelia never felt it. They always moved freely between residences, as they were only separated by a few floors. The royal family lived at the highest tower in the castle, with Amelia’s family just below, marking that her family was the second most powerful one on Earth.
In a way, Kelvin was jealous of Amelia. She knew exactly what she wanted to do for a career after they finished school, which was to be a captain in Earth Navy. Amelia studied Earth Navy history and kept up on its current affairs every day. She poured herself into practicing simulations everyday in simulators that mimicked what an actual bridge of an Earth Navy ship was like. Amelia took time to play a different role, each day, until she
felt she’d mastered it. The only role Amelia had yet to try in the simulation was that of captain, because she didn’t think she’d earned it. The hours Amelia had already logged in the simulator were more than most cadets were required to their first year in the Earth Naval Academy, which was where Amelia wanted to apply once she was finished with her basic education. It was not easy to get in, and even more difficult to earn a place in the command program of the academy.
Amelia’s voice trailed off, and Kelvin could now only hear the footsteps of his mother’s nervous pacing outside his door. He fastened every button and strap that went into putting the Earth Navy uniform on. It was a little tight, but luckily for him, it still fit okay. Kelvin looked himself up and down in the long mirror of his closet. The dark, navy blue with black stripes indicating his rank. In an honorary sense, Kelvin was an admiral in Earth Navy, though he’d never actually set foot on a space ship. For a few seconds, Kelvin saw himself as a grown man, standing on the bridge of his own space ship, setting out into the stars and crossing the boundaries of the solar system.
If Kelvin didn’t get to be king, sailing though outer space would be his next goal. Kelvin’s secret was that if his father let him go to the Nine Kingdoms, each one on their own planet, he would actually get to fly on a spaceship. It was a dream of Kelvin’s, but his father was scared to let him or anyone else in the royal family leave Earth, so Kelvin had to settle for glider planes and stunt jets. Kelvin wanted to get to space someday. He promised himself he would, no matter what.
Anytime the prospect of flying came up, Kelvin’s head drifted to the clouds. Because of strict security, it was difficult for Kelvin to fly, even on Earth, but he took every opportunity he could. There was a full airport a few thousand feet below him in the royal palace, and that’s where Kelvin wished he was headed now.
